Abu Dhabi rents continue to slide, providing opportunities for house-hunters looking for bargains.
Video: Rents coming down
Kevin Brass discusses falling rents in the capital and good news for flathunters
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The average rental price dropped 9 per cent in the second quarter, which ended last month, from the previous quarter, according to data released yesterday by Asteco, a property management firm.
Rates are down anywhere from 25 to 40 per cent in the past year, depending on the neighbourhood, said Paul Maisfield, the general manager of Asteco's Abu Dhabi office.
"It's a tenant-led market at the moment," Mr Maisfield said. "A lot of supply is coming on line when demand is not there."
Two-bedroom apartments in a high-quality development on the Corniche are now renting for between Dh140,000 (US$38,115) and Dh170,000 a year, the company reported. A year ago a similar Corniche two-bedroom flat rented from Dh210,000 to Dh230,000.
In central Abu Dhabi, rents range between Dh120,000 and Dh140,000 for a two-bedroom apartment, compared with a range of Dh160,000 to Dh180,00,000 last year.
One of the few exceptions to the trend is Al Bandar on Raha Beach, where rents have remained steady, with two-bedroom apartments attracting between Dh140,000 and Dh180,000. Rates for villas in Al Reef increased slightly.
"Villas in compounds are still sought after," said Andrea Menown, the leasing manager for LLJ Property, an estate agency. Apartments with available parking are also in demand, she said. But the agency is also witnessing widespread drops in apartment rates.
"We are starting to see two and three-bedroom apartments in new buildings sit vacant when they are overpriced to begin with," Ms Menown said.
The completion of several new projects, including apartments in Al Zeina in Al Raha and 516 town houses in Al Reef, is likely to continue to drive down rates, Asteco reported.
"We haven't had an influx of new people coming in," Mr Maisfield said. "It's just bad timing for the market."
Fact box: Are you paying too much?
Corniche 'Quality' 2-bedroom apartments now Dh140,000 to Dh170,000.
Central Abu Dhabi Apartments now range from Dh120,000 to Dh140,000.
Raha Beach Two-bedroom apartments from 140,000 to 180,000.
Officers Club Semi-detached 5-bedroom villas renting between Dh310,000 to Dh350,000.
More than 16,000 residential units are scheduled for completion in the next year, according to Jones Lang LaSalle. Projects on Reem Island, Raha Beach and Etihad Towers will offer new choices for people seeking to rent.
"It will be an interesting six months," Mr Maisfield said. "These developments will set important benchmarks for the market."
Two-bedroom apartments are available for Dh125,000 a year in Sun and Sky towers on Reem Island, which started handing over units earlier this year, he said.
"Everybody else will have to adjust accordingly," Mr Maisfield said.
Most of the activity is coming from people upgrading or moving to new homes, rather than people moving into Abu Dhabi. The number of inquiries to the agency has doubled in recent months, but it's "all driven by people already here".
kbrass@thenational.ae
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
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Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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